


All This Time

by saltedcaramelbomboms



Category: Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Amnesia, F/M, Falling In Love, Healing, Hurt/Comfort, Identity Reveal, Past Lives, Romantic Soulmates, Secret Identity, Sex
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-09
Updated: 2019-06-05
Packaged: 2020-02-28 20:58:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,200
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18764104
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/saltedcaramelbomboms/pseuds/saltedcaramelbomboms
Summary: Sansa Stark dreams of a past life and remembers details as she faces similar situations in her present day life. One day, a young man with ocean blue eyes reenters her life without knowing his true identity, so Sansa must recall her past life to help him remember his relationship to her.





	1. One

_ She was fifteen and had four brothers. Two older and two younger. She also had a younger sister who was in no way a lady. They all liked to fence in their free time, leaving her to watch from the balcony while sitting with her sampler. Everything around her was simple and unfurnished, and they were dressed in clothing from another era.  _

 

_ “Sansa, come fence with us too!” Her sister, Arya, shouted up at her. Sansa simply smiled and waved at her, but did not budge. “Come on Arya, you know she won’t do anything that would mess up her skirts,” teased Robb, her eldest brother. Just then, another person appeared with his sword, hitting Robb in the back with it. “Gotcha!” said the boy. He had dirty blonde hair and a mischievous smile that went all the way to his eyes. Sansa heard Robb call out to him, but she did not catch his name. _

 

Sansa Stark woke up with a start. She clutched the blankets around her and recalled her dream.

She had no doubt that her dreams showed her a past life. It was not uncommon for people to catch glimpses of who they were in previous lives, but few of them remembered it in such detail. All Sansa knew was that in this life, her name had not changed, she still had four brothers and a sister, all with their same names, and that she owned a successful cafe, “Winterfell Snow.” The lemon cakes there sold out every single day. 

 

She shook her head and got dressed in a cream colored frilly blouse and her favorite pair of flare jeans that made her hips curve just right. After putting her makeup on, Sansa grabbed her keys and headed downstairs.

 

Robb was in the kitchen, brewing coffee. He nodded at his sister and sat down with his cup, gesturing to the pot to show that there was more.

 

“Coffee?”

 

Sansa smiled. It was so like Robb to have everything done in advance. He was the eldest son, a true leader in the family. “No thanks, I have to go early today to put up the New Year’s decorations,” she replied as she hurriedly put on her white platform sneakers and left, her red mane flying behind her as she slammed the door.

 

~

 

Sansa had just finished putting up the wreath when a customer came barging into the shop, spilling coffee on the carpet as he swung the door open. She looked at him, then checked the time on her phone. It was still 6:00 AM, half an hour before the cafe officially opened.

 

“Sir, I’m afraid we’re not open yet. The sign on the door says so.” Sansa said, a tad annoyed at the mess he made. The customer looked up at her, and Sansa noticed that he had the bluest eyes that she had ever seen. 

 

“Oh! I’m sorry ma’am. I didn’t realize since the door was unlocked. I just came to drop this off, in case you were short on staff and needed to hire more people.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper, which he handed to Sansa. She took it from him and saw that it was his resume. Just as he was about to leave, Sansa stopped him.

 

“Excuse me sir, but shouldn’t every resume have a name on it? Just so we know whose it is?” She looked at the man quizzically. He looked to be in his late twenties, so surely he knew how to write a proper resume by now. He looked at her nervously.

 

“I’m sorry ma’am, but I don’t actually know what my name is. My family calls me Reek…” He trailed off when he noticed the stain on the carpet and reddened at his carelessness. “Oh no, where can I find a mop so that I can clean this up?” His sea-blue eyes looked into hers, and Sansa got lost in them for a moment before snapping back to reality. 

 

“Oh, that? Never mind, seeing as how you turned out to have an emergency.” She said kindly. Then she remembered why they were having this conversation. “Sorry, you said that your family calls you Reek, right? If that’s your name, why don’t you put it on your resume?”

 

Reek fidgeted with his fingers, thinking of a valid response. “Forgive me if this sounds stupid, but  they said that I should never put it on my personal documents because it’s not my real name.”

 

Sansa blinks three times, trying to process what the man had just told her. “Wait a minute, so what is your real name?”

 

"I wish I knew." He looked at her sadly. "Even my family doesn't know. That's why they renamed me Reek."

 

_ Poor guy _ , thought Sansa.  _ It must be horrible not knowing what your own name is. _

 

“Very well, Reek. I will hire you to be my assistant manager. That means you will help me bake and do the accounts.” She folded his resume away and tucked it into her apron pocket. “You may begin today.” 

 

Reek’s eyes lit up for a second. “Thank you ma’am. By the way, how should I address you?”

 

Sansa laughed. “I’m Sansa Stark, the owner. You can just call me Sansa. No formalities here.”

  
  


~

 

When Sansa got home, she saw Arya and Gendry splayed out on the couch. They were watching  The Silence of the Lambs and taking turns hogging the popcorn and chips between themselves.  _ How nice it would be to have someone to regularly watch movies with _ , Sansa thought to herself. It had been a while since she dated anyone. After her last relationship with Joffrey Baratheon, which ended up being a toxic one where she had to constantly do as she was told or he would beat her while drunk and cheat on her, she had sworn off dating for a long time. She simply did not trust her judgment of men. She was happy just the way she was now, with her cafe running smoothly and having more than enough money to live comfortably with her family. Or was she?

 

“Hey Sansa, could you please get us some more coke?” Arya’s voice interrupted her thoughts.

 

“Why don’t you go get it yourself? It’s literally right on the dining room table.” Sansa retorted as she headed to her room.

 

Arya shrugged. “Typical of her,” she said as she reached for another chip.

 

~

 

 _“Run, Sansa, run!” The voice urged her. “He won’t be able to catch up to us if we run towards the lake.” Sansa panted and tried to keep running, but her limbs would not listen. She was holding onto the arm of someone in front of her, a man with dirty blonde hair and wearing rags. However, she could not make out his features due to the speed they were running at._ ** _Who are you_** _, she wanted to shout._ ** _Who are we running from -_** _Sansa did not have time to finish before she plunged into ice-cold water, drowning out all her thoughts._

 

Sansa gasped and woke up from her nap, then remembered it was a dream of her past life.  _ Who am I,  _ she wondered.  _ Who was I, and who was I running from?  _ She thought back to the person running with her, and remembered his hair color and style. It seemed familiar, as if she’d seen it somewhere before. She just couldn’t remember where and when.

 

~

 

“Reek! I see that you’re back early today,” the voice sneered as Reek stepped through the front door. He gulped. Keeping his eyes down, he replied meekly, “Yes, Ramsay sir.”

 

The taunter stepped into the light. His dark eyes fixated on Reek’s small figure in front of him, and his lips curled into a smile.

 

“Come now, brother. It’s only me. I was just worried about your financial situation, is all.” Reek kept his eyes down. “Yes sir. I found a job today, at the cafe across town. I started today too, so that I can pay the rent as soon as possible.” He headed to his room, but Ramsay stuck out his arm, blocking his path. “Now, where do you think you’re going? I’ve been home alone all day and my girl Myranda doesn’t come over until later.” He tilted Reek’s head upwards, penetrating the latter’s mask of resilience. “Perhaps you would like to accompany me for a little bit of fun?” 

 

Reek’s blue eyes flashed with fear. He knew exactly what “fun” meant to his “brother.”  _ Please, please let me go this time. I’ll do anything... _ his eyes pleaded. That did not stop Ramsay from grabbing him by the collar and leaning far too close to his face, whispering, “You don’t know who you are, cunt, to be refusing me like that. Remember, people like you with no name have no right to speak for yourself. Your parents abandoned you for a reason.” And with that, Ramsay stalked off, leaving Reek standing alone, shuddering.

 

_ Who am I? Why did my parents abandon me? Why did this family take me in when they’ve never been nice to me?  _ Reek wondered, his eyes filling up with tears. Then, coming back to reality, he reminded himself,  _ this family gave you a name, even if it’s not your own. You belong to them now, so you better earn your keep. _ He wiped away a tear and took the dog food to the kennel. He took a big breath and like always, put on a brave smile and tried to endure one more day.

 

~

 

_ Zzzzing!  _ Arya’s arrow sailed through the air and landed perfectly in the middle of the target.

 

“Bull’s-eye! You’ve really improved a lot.” Gendry said as he admired Arya’s skills.

 

“I agree. She’s practicing as if she has a kill list,” remarked Robb, handing Arya a bottle of water. She chugged the entire bottle and looked smugly at the duo.

 

“You never know, maybe one of you would be next if you ever cross me,” she joked, winking at Gendry. He tried hard not to notice how beautiful she looked in that moment, and gave a laugh before looking away. Trying to change the subject, he asked Robb, “Remember your playmate, Tristan? That dude really gave it to you straight when it came to archery.”

 

Robb’s brow furrowed.  _ Tristan _ ? He hadn’t heard that name in years. The last time he remembered hearing that name was more than ten years ago, when he tried to forget his friend ever existed.

 

_ He was thirteen years old, old enough to help his family keep his siblings in line. Then, one day, his father brought home a child about his own age. The child had dirty blonde hair and was a little taller than he was, but much leaner and looked as if he hadn’t slept for days. He had a large bloody bump on his head and his blue eyes clouded in confusion. “This is Tristan,” Ned introduced as the family gazed upon the newcomer with curiosity and concern. “I found him wandering lost in the town square and tried to return him to his parents, but he could not seem to remember who they were or where he came from. He only said that his name was Tristan.” When nobody said anything, Ned continued, “he will be living with us from now on, so treat him like your own brother.”  _

 

Robb had tried to make friends with Tristan, but the latter had a hard time opening up. Eventually, he grew comfortable with the Starks and became one of them. Tristan practiced archery with Robb and attended the public high school with him and Jon. However, Robb had an inkling that Tristan was not who he made himself out to be, or tried to be. He knew this because he dreamed about his family in another setting, another era. Back then, he also had a playmate who would do similar things with him as Tristan did with him now. Heck, the guy looked exactly like Tristan. However, he remembered that his past-life playmate held a significant title and was clearly not from Winterfell. He just couldn’t recall his name. In an attempt to get Tristan to reveal the truth, Robb and Jon coaxed him to join them on a camping trip that summer. One year after his arrival at the Starks’ home. Tristan happily agreed, and they set off. Along the way they came upon a clearing. The boys confidently strode forward, but Tristan was unlucky and got himself caught in a net trap. Horrified, Jon and Robb ran off to call for help. When they returned with police, the trap had already been taken away with Tristan in it. Even after Robb reported the incident and called for a search party to cover all Seven Regions, nobody could find any trace of Tristan or his whereabouts.

 

From that day on, Robb and Jon blamed themselves for their friend’s fate, and tried to move on by forgetting. Today, that old wound had been reopened, and for once, Robb wasn’t sure how he would deal with it.

 

~

 

Yara Greyjoy paced the room with her hands behind her back, her mind wandering. She had just received a lecture from her father, Balon, about her responsibility to the family business. The Greyjoy family owned the largest and most elite boat club in Westeros called Pyke Towers, which was located in the Iron Islands. For the longest time, Balon had favored her after he lost his first two sons in a boating accident when she was twelve years old. Yara went to the best academy on the Islands, and graduated with honors from the University of King’s Landing with a degree in business management and a minor in seafaring. Then, she joined her family’s company and worked her way up to becoming director of external affairs. 

Now, Balon was getting old, and he needed a successor to take his place as CEO. Lately, he’d been giving her extra tasks to complete, tasks that did not fit the scope of a director’s work.  _ He’s grooming me for succession,  _ she realized, albeit with a little guilt.  _ This never would have happened if my little brother were still here _ , she thought. Even now, Yara did not know why her brother suddenly disappeared from their home when he was fifteen years old. She knew that he and Balon never got along because Balon was always reminded of his two older sons when he saw him. Thus, Balon never once called her brother by his true name, only referring to him as “boy” or “you ungrateful brat,” for fear of growing an attachment to his remaining son only to lose him afterwards. When her brother went missing, Yara knew that her father had something to do with it. She confronted Balon, asking him what happened and why her brother was gone. Balon, being the stoic figure he was, simply said, “He did not deserve to be my son. He is good as dead to me, so he is also none of your concern now.” The look on Balon’s face then was enough to destroy the entire island, so Yara knew better than to press on about it. However, she still held hope in her heart that Balon did not mean what he said.

Over the years, she tried to send out search parties, but all of them had been intercepted by Balon and threatened into unemployment. Yara had no choice but to accept that her brother was never coming back simply for the sake of keeping innocent employees out of danger. Deep down, her heart still ached for her brother, whose name she could barely remember due to Balon forbidding her from ever bringing him up. She only remembered his piercing blue eyes, eyes only the Greyjoys possessed.  _ I hope you are well, wherever you are now,  _ she whispered to herself.  _ One day, I  _ **_will_ ** _ become the CEO and nothing can stop me from finding you then. _


	2. Two

_ Darkness. That’s all he sees in front of him. He tries to move, but all four limbs are bound to slabs of wood. Pain sears through his thighs all the way to his neck. At that moment, someone lifts the cloth from his face. He doesn’t see who it is exactly because his eyes are blurred from sleep and from pain. He only hears a voice, albeit a familiar one, asking: “What’s your name?” _

 

Reek snapped awake, his heart pounding.  _ What happened? Why was I in that position? _ He wondered as he checked the time, which said 5:00 AM. Breathing a sigh of relief that he wasn’t going to be late, he threw on a turtleneck sweater and fleece pants and headed to the living room to make breakfast for the family.

 

“Good morning Reek, what’s for breakfast today?” Ramsay’s mouth twitched into a big, fake smile as he sat down at the table. Reek pretended not to notice it. “Scrambled eggs and pork sausage, your favorite, sir.” As he turned the sausage over to make sure it was evenly browned, he vaguely remembered a scene from a previous dream. 

 

_ He had just woken up on a cross, and he saw someone sitting at the nearby table eating something. When the image became clearer, he noticed that the man was eating a sausage...or was it? Whatever it was, he felt sick to his stomach. The man turned to him and grinned. “Don’t worry, it’s not what you think it is,” he said. In the moment, Reek did not recognize the man.  _ Now that he was awake…

 

He froze. 

 

The man eating pork sausage in his dream looked exactly like his “brother” at the table.

 

“Reek! What the fuck are you doing?! Do you want to waste what little precious food we have? Look at what you’ve done!” The angry voice of Roose Bolton brought him back to reality.

 

He blinked, and saw that he had burned the sausage. His heart nearly stopped for a second. Turning slowly to face Ramsay’s father, he cowered as he apologized for his mistake. Roose did not respond except stare at him with contempt in his eyes. 

 

“Have we taken you in for nothing? You ungrateful brat, you will go without breakfast today.”

 

At that moment, something in Reek snapped. “You know what, I’m 27 years old and it’s high time that I stopped owing you anything.” He felt his hands shake out of fear, but he pressed on. “All this time, I was the only one who paid rent and did any housework. I’m tired of being scared of you lot.” Stopping to catch his breath, Reek felt his jailers’ stony anger.  _ I must be stronger in this life,  _ he told himself. _ Don’t let what happened in your past life happen again. It’s better to be cruel than weak _ , he reminded himself as he regained his composure a little. “If you leave me alone, I will let all of these years go as thanks for taking me in despite everything. If, however, you ever come bothering me, I’ll report you to the police.” Reek threw down his apron, took his coat, and left the house before either Roose or Ramsay could say anything.

 

As the door slammed behind him, Ramsay smiled, a plot clearly forming in his head. He turned to his father and, stabbing his sausage with a fork, simply said, “Don’t worry. He’ll be back. We’ll make sure that he does.” 

 

~

 

Sansa had just walked in when she noticed that her new employee was already in the shop. “Good morning Reek,” she announced as she set her things down in the break room. “How are you today?”

 

“I’m good, thank you Sansa.” He smiled at her as if nothing had happened at all that morning. 

 

Sansa smiled back. In the two weeks that he had worked here, Reek seemed to have lost his nervousness around her. He proved himself to be a dedicated worker, always arriving to work either early or on time and always being the last to leave. Despite his initial nervousness, all the customers loved how he listened carefully to their needs and gave them their orders exactly the way they liked it no matter how complicated it was. 

 

_ You’re super lucky that you hired an employee like him _ , she thought to herself when Reek appeared right in front of her, holding a plate of freshly baked lemon cakes. She eyed them over, noticing how each one was consistently yellow and shaped in a neat upside-down mold. She also noticed something else. Reek’s cakes had lemon slices placed on top of each one as if the peaks were bulls-eyes. “Try one,” he said with a hint of bashfulness in his voice. “I know that these are the most popular item on the menu, so I added a new twist that would hopefully make them even more popular.”

 

Without saying another word, Sansa bit into a cake. The inside was airy and spongy with a hint of bounce and the lemon slice on top worked wonders by diffusing its tangy, delightful aroma into every bite. Simply put, Sansa felt like she just tasted the dessert god’s masterpiece - a combination of sunshine and happiness in edible form.

 

“My goodness, these are genius,” Sansa exclaimed with her mouth full as she took another bite. After finishing the cake, she turned to Reek with shining eyes. “Who taught you to bake this well? I need to meet that master of yours,” she teased.

 

Reek’s chest puffed out with pride, his ocean eyes twinkling. “The master is right here,” he said as Sansa looked slightly bewildered at his answer. “I taught myself. My family always has guests over and I’m in charge of the cooking most of the time.”  _ They also punish me when they or the guests think that something can be improved about the dishes _ , he thought but did not say out loud.

 

“Well,” Sansa smirked. “With skills like yours, I bet you’ll have half of Winterfell flocking to my cafe and swooning at your feet!” To her surprise, Reek played along. “Doesn’t matter to me, because I have already won over the most beautiful lady in this room.” He winked and whisked the empty plate to the kitchen as Sansa just stood there, stunned.  _ This attitude of his...reminds me of Robb’s old friend Tristan _ , she recalled. In the short time that he was with them, Tristan had always been a ladies’ man and knew exactly what to say to make them fall for his silver tongue. All of a sudden, she remembered that Tristan disappeared when he was sixteen and that Reek seemed to have no recollection of his past life. Both of them also had blue eyes and blonde hair, only Reek’s eyes were a darker blue than Tristan’s.  _ Could it be? Could Reek really be her brother’s long-lost friend? _ With that question in mind, Sansa decided that she would find out the truth one way or another.

 

~

 

A few days later, Sansa came up to the cafe’s second-floor balcony for some fresh air after a busy morning dealing with impatient customers who all wanted their food served right away. She tried to be as accommodating as possible, but there were too many customers, too much food to be made, and a little too few servers to beat the rush. Sansa closed her eyes and felt the snow tickle her cheeks as it settled on her hair. A few minutes later, she saw Reek at the other end, who appeared to be deep in thought. She walked over and lightly tapped him on the shoulder. 

 

“Hey,” she greeted him casually. “Didn’t expect to see you up here.”

 

Reek straightened up a little. “Sorry, I just thought that I would take a short break since all the baking’s done for the day. I’ll go back down and do the accounts now if you want.” 

 

Sansa looked at him, amused. “No, please stay. What are you so afraid of?” She heard Reek give a slight chuckle. “I don’t know, you tell me,” he said.

 

Remembering her qualm a few days prior, Sansa hesitated, but decided to ask anyway. “Forgive me if I sound rude, but I was wondering why your parents told you that they don’t know your real name,” she said carefully. 

 

When Reek did not respond right away, Sansa felt her cheeks flush. “I’m sorry if that was too personal. You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”

 

“It’s fine. They don’t know because they’re not my real parents,” Reek finally said, the slightest hint of bitterness in his voice. “They said that my real parents abandoned me, which is why they took me in.” 

 

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that,” Sansa said sympathetically. “Do you remember anything from before you were taken in? Like, anything at all?”

 

“Nah, but I do get these weird dreams. Nightmares, actually. They say that your dreams tell you of a past life, but so far mine have been terrible so I’d really rather not know.” He smiled curtly. “Besides, if my parents abandoned me in this life, then I must have done something really bad in my past life. I wonder what that is sometimes, but if I can’t even remember my real name, how can I figure out what I did wrong?” With that, he turned to exit, but he felt Sansa gripping his arm.

 

“Wait, Reek.” Her voice sounded pained and...understanding, as if he had not just sounded like an insane person talking about living a past life. “I get you. I have those dreams too, dreams where I see my family in a different era. I know that everyone’s names have not changed in this life, but I just can’t remember my relationship to people who were not part of my immediate family.” She hesitated for a second, unsure of whether or not to spill the beans. When a second passed, Sansa decided that she had to know the truth. “Call me crazy, but there’s this one person that keeps popping up in my dreams who I can’t remember the name of. I don’t know why I’m so obsessed about it, but I feel like he was important and that he’s somehow missing from this life.” Reek said nothing, only looking into her eyes with his piercing irises. Sansa continued. “About ten years ago, my brothers lost a playmate who was sixteen years old then. His name was Tristan and he had a similar attitude to yours. He also had blue eyes that were a shade darker than most people’s. I was wondering...if that may have triggered something in your memory.”

 

Reek stared at her for a moment and then burst out laughing. Sansa’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. 

 

“Forgive me for being blunt, but you’re implying that I might be your brothers’ long-lost friend just because I was adopted and that I have dark blue eyes? That’s frankly a little ridiculous, if you ask me. Anyone can have blue eyes and a smooth attitude.” Reek leaned his torso on the metal fence, the kind of posture that one has when one is harboring a secret. “Besides, I only have this attitude so that people don’t pity me or think that I’m weak despite being an adopted kid who doesn’t know his true origins. What’s more, your brother’s friend could have changed a lot in the past ten years. You never know.” Reek laughed some more and headed downstairs to do the accounts. Sansa felt a twinge of guilt at Reek’s response. She wanted to punch herself for voicing her suspicions out loud without any warning.  _ Of course, Tristan may as well have been taken outside of Winterfell by now, and he’s living a happy life somewhere _ , she thought in an attempt to comfort herself. She shook her head and followed Reek inside, all the while avoiding eye contact.

  
  


~

 

_ Sansa looked down at herself. She wore a long gown and held well-made embroidery in her hand. Just as she was about to make another stitch, she heard Arya yell from below. Leaving her work aside, she went to the balcony and saw her sister shooting arrows with Robb and Jon. The boy from her previous dream was there too, helping Jon load his bow. She saw that he had bright blue eyes and wore a padded vest with a strange creature embroidered on it. The creature looked like an anemone. Before she could have a closer look, she heard someone summon her father. Putting her ear to the door, Sansa heard: “Lord Eddard Stark, it was a pleasure seeing you again. Did you receive the news from the Iron Islands? What should we do about your ward?” _

 

The next morning, Sansa tried to ignore the dream because she did not have a clue what it meant. All she got from it was that her father had been a lord in his previous life and that he had a ward. Then, she remembered a very vague history lesson she learned in middle school about the Seven Kingdoms. She remembered that there was a Lord Stark of Winterfell who gained power after Robert’s Rebellion that ended the rule of Aerys II, also known as the Mad King. She also remembered that her teacher said Lord Stark had a large family, with four sons and two daughters. If her father had been Lord Stark, then she was Lady Sansa of Winterfell in her past life. Since she knew who her brothers were, the fifth boy must have been Ned’s ward who was unmentioned in history books. As if by coincidence, the boy had blue eyes and blonde hair that looked exactly like Tristan’s. However, she did not know enough about Tristan in this life to deduce exactly who he was or why his past self kept appearing in her dreams.

 

“Sansa, what are you zoning out for? You’ve barely touched your breakfast,” Arya chided as she reached for another piece of french toast. Gendry sat beside her and put some bacon on her plate as if it was the most natural thing to do. That exchange did not go unnoticed by Sansa, who smirked slightly. “I’m zoning out so that I don’t have to watch you guys flirt at the table right in front of me,” she said as she chomped down on her toast.

 

Arya snorted. “What do you mean by flirting? Bros can serve each other food too.” 

 

Sansa shrugged and cleared her plate from the table. “Whatever you say. I have to go now, but I’ll bring home some of the new lemon cakes so we can eat them for breakfast tomorrow. Bye friends.”

 

Gendry, being the observant man he was, noticed that Sansa lacked her usual sass when she spoke. He turned to Arya, who looked at him with the same expression. “What’s up with her?” They murmured in unison. 

 

~

 

“One ginger ale latte and two lemon cakes, please,” the voice caused Sansa to look up from her unfinished pastries. Her expression immediately turned from meh to delighted.

 

“Robb! How nice to see you at my cafe of all places you could be at,” she joked as she rang up his order. Just as she did, she noticed Margaery Tyrell standing beside him. “Wow, you even brought my best friend. How wonderful,” Sansa beamed. She knew that they had been crushing on each other for ages, so she was extremely happy for both of them when they decided to make their relationship official one month ago. 

 

“Hey Sansa, who’s that hottie working in the back?” Margaery asked, her eyes twinkling with mischief. Robb raised an eyebrow but said nothing. Sansa set their cakes and coffee down and blushed a little. “He’s...my new assistant manager. Came in looking for a job three weeks ago and I was a little short on staff so I hired him on the spot.” 

Robb simply took a sip of his latte like nothing was out of the ordinary. “Anyway, I came here to tell you that Lannister Consulting Group is having their annual Winter Ball in two weeks. Tyrion Lannister called me this morning to tell me the news.” He hesitated. “He requested that you provide the pastries and dessert for the evening. He also said that they’ll pay you double what other companies would for your service.” Sansa couldn’t quite believe her ears. “You serious? That’s my ex’s family you’re talking about,” she said as she glared at her brother for even thinking that she might agree.

 

Robb sighed, a weary expression on his face. “I don’t want to do it either, but it’s kind of vital for our family to attend because they helped save Stark Empire from going bankrupt during the recession of 2008.” He looked Sansa in the eyes. “I know that you and Joffrey didn’t work out, so we will all keep an eye on you at the party to make sure that you’re safe.” Sansa thought for a moment.  _ If I go, it would be a great PR opportunity for my cafe since leaders from a lot of the major corporations will be attending. If Winterfell Snow becomes famous enough, I can make enough money one day so that we can break free from the Lannisters for good. _

 

“Alright, you have a deal.”

 

~

 

The nightly buzz at Pyke Towers had just started, and elites from all over the Seven Regions gathered to attend the weekly shareholders’ meeting before the after-party. Balon Greyjoy sat at the head of the table with Yara beside him. The chief financial officer sat on his other side, and he had a large pile of documents next to him.

 

Balon cleared his throat. “Tonight, we will discuss our quarterly earnings for Fall-Winter 2018. Our chief financial officer, Euron, will begin by giving us a summary of our objectives and cash flow.”

 

Euron Greyjoy flipped the first page of a document and announced, “our goal was to work closely with Lannister Consulting Group in order to expand our clientele base and earn a 15 percent increase in profit than we earned for Spring-Summer 2018. We achieved our goal of expanding our clientele base, but we suffered a huge loss because of all the money we spent on marketing to convince people to become members, not to mention the scale of the benefits we offered to existing members to retain them for another year.” 

 

The room fell silent as all eyes turned to look at Balon and Yara. After a full two minutes, Yara finally spoke.

 

“How much did we spend in total on marketing and benefits?”

 

“3 billion Westerosi dollars, director.”

 

Yara frowned as she calculated the expenses. “We’ve had more expensive marketing campaigns in the past and that didn’t stop us from still earning a 20 percent profit.”

 

“Director, we’ve had to accommodate two hundred VIP members.”

 

Her eyes narrowed as she processed the information. “I thought that membership was renewed on a yearly basis. As I remember, only one hundred out of two hundred extended their membership at the beginning of 2019. What’s going on? Who’s in charge of keeping membership records?”

 

Another minute of silence. It was Balon who broke it this time.

 

“If I remember correctly, it was Ramsay Bolton, but he resigned one month ago to work for Lannister Consulting Group.”

 

~

 

Yara sat on her bed and pondered over her family’s financial situation. How had she not known that Bolton had resigned? What else was her father keeping from her? Furthermore, why were they not keeping track of data? She felt a wave of uneasiness creep into her stomach. They had worked with Lannister Consulting Group for years, but this was the first time that they had suffered such a huge loss. She was almost sure that Ramsay Bolton’s departure had something to do with it. 

 

_ Lannister Consulting Group will be hosting its Winter Ball in two weeks, so I will take someone with me to help me investigate further _ , Yara thought. What’s more, she knew exactly who she was going to pick to be her partner in crime as she dialed a number. The phone rang three times before Daenerys Targaryen picked up.

 

“Hello love, how may I help you this time?” Daenerys purred on the other end.  _ She’s definitely been drinking _ , Yara thought and laughed a little. She felt relief wash over her at the sound of Daenerys’ voice. “Why hello, my dragon queen. I need you to help me with a very important mission. One even more important than coming over and drinking salted caramel beer together.”

 

She heard Daenerys giggle. “Of course. Anything for you,” the latter said.

 

Yara took a deep breath. “Listen, so Pyke Towers is losing a substantial amount of money due to someone not keeping track of membership, which is extra weird because our head of HR resigned last month and my dad didn’t tell me.” 

 

“Interesting. So how do you plan to find out what happened?” Daenerys sounded unfazed, as if she dealt with this type of situation every day.

 

Yara toned her voice down a notch, as if she feared that someone was pressed against her door listening. “We will both attend Lannister Consulting Group’s annual Winter Ball in two weeks’ time, and we will try to get insider information there because Ramsay Bolton, who kept track of membership, joined them after he resigned.”

 

“And you’re just thinking of showing up with the chief of police and going unnoticed?” Daenerys asked with a hint of doubt in her tone. Yara laughed. She knew better than that.

 

“No, we’re going to dress up like the other guests and you’re going to be my date,” Yara said, emphasizing the word date for effect.

 

“Wow, so we’re like, official now? Thought you’d never ask.”

 

Yara rubbed her inner thigh and smirked. “Of course dear, now get over here so that we can plot our scheme.”

 

~

 

Sansa and Reek were just about to close up shop when the latter tapped her on the shoulder. Sansa whirled around to face him with a look of slight shame and surprise. “Yes, Reek?”

 

Reek avoided looking at her. “I...uh...could I sleep in the break room at night from now on? I’ve been doing it for the past two days and I know I should have told you, but some...things happened that made me decide to leave my adoptive family for good.” When Sansa didn’t respond right away, Reek continued, “You can deduct the rent from my paycheck until I find an apartment, but this is the only place I feel...safe in right now.” His cheeks turned red.  _ Shit, who would believe that story?  _ He thought, fully expecting Sansa to reject his request.

 

Sansa was at a loss for words, but she did feel sympathetic towards Reek because there were times that she had wanted to move away from her family too. “Well, since it’s late and you don’t have time to look for an apartment now, I suppose you could stay and make sure that nobody breaks in at midnight,” she finally said.

 

Reek gave her a grateful smile. “Thank you, Sansa. I really appreciate it.” 

 

Sansa smiled back, albeit a little sheepishly. “About what happened two days ago...I’m sorry if I made things awkward. I won’t bring it up again.”

 

Reek shrugged. “I’ve actually already forgotten about it. I’m sorry too, for overreacting. I mean, if we both have these dreams, they surely must mean something, right? You can come talk to me anytime, I guess.”

 

Sansa nodded in understanding. “Thank you, the same goes for you. I will go home now, so please close up properly and have a good night.” 

 

As Reek watched her go, he felt a ray of warmth spreading throughout his weary body, a feeling that he hadn’t felt in a long time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to my tumblr and AO3 best friend Infinity_Witch for being my beta for this story! Everyone, please go check out her modern Theon x Sansa stories too because she's a brilliant writer :)
> 
> P.S. I wanted to post this ASAP so that you guys can continue reading the story, but this chapter may undergo some edits after my beta reads it when she has time <3


	3. Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sansa and Reek begin to bond. Meanwhile, the Lannisters have a plan of their own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for taking so long to post this. This chapter was originally going to be longer, but I decided to save some details for the next one that will lead nicely into the party. Enjoy~

The air was chilly and snow covered the Winterfell History Museum’s roof like a thick white blanket. Inside, tourists and locals alike gathered to admire the new exhibit featuring artefacts from a thousand years ago that made up part of the region’s heritage. Amidst the crowd was Robb and Margaery, two ordinary people on a Saturday date. When the people in front had their turn gawking, Margaery pushed past them and made her way to the entrance, pulling Robb along with her.

 

“Come, Robb. Let’s see if we can find ourselves as historical figures here,” she announced a little too loudly.

 

Robb chuckled and slid his arm around her waist to keep her close by. It was so like Margaery to voice her eccentric opinions in a room full of people, not caring in the slightest who might judge. He liked her for it. A lot. Just when he came upon the exhibition case for the Battle of Winterfell, he saw Margaery staring at another case up ahead. Robb followed to where she was and gasped at what he saw. Right in front of him, a dummy labeled “Robb Stark, King of the North” was pinned to the wall with a wolf’s head stitched onto the body. His stomach gave a little lurch and Margaery placed her hand over his to comfort him. Her eyes looked into his with an expression of concern.

 

“Darling, are you alright? Did this frighten you?”

 

Robb placed his hands on the fence surrounding the case and took deep breaths to calm himself down. “No, I’m fine. I want to know how I went out in my previous life.” He read the description:

 

_ Robb Stark was King of the North in the year 299 AC. He had previously sworn an oath to wed the daughter of Walder Frey, Lord of Riverrun. However, during the War of the Five Kings in the same year, he met and fell in love with Talisa Maegyr, a battlefield nurse who was also a Volantene noblewoman. The king betrayed Frey to marry his true love, and the couple were happy for a while. However, Lord Frey found out about King Robb’s betrayal and invited him, his mother, and his wife to his daughter’s wedding with Edmure Tully, the king’s uncle. Lord Frey and his men conspired with the royal family in King’s Landing to assassinate King Robb, his wife, his mother, and his direwolf as vengeance. _

 

“Okay, I think I’ve read enough. It looks like this guy before me had the exact same personality flaws,” Robb muttered. He took Margaery’s hand and led her away to a quieter place.

 

They came to a fountain and sat down at the brim, still holding hands. Margaery said nothing, absentmindedly stroking Robb’s hand with her fingers as a gesture of comfort. Finally, Robb spoke.

 

“You know, honey, it’s kind of amusing that that guy died such a gruesome death only because he wanted to marry his true love. I guess even powerful people aren’t as powerful as they claim to be.”

 

Margaery nodded, twisting a strand of her hair around her finger. “Powerful people are only powerful because they have other powerful people backing them.” She put her hand back down and turned to Robb with a determined expression. “However, putting love above all else is not a personality flaw. It just shows that you’re more human than a political machine.” Robb brushed her hair from her eyes and placed the strand behind her ear. “Indeed, my love. Sometimes I wish that Sansa could learn a lesson or two from you. It’s high time that she started dating and having fun again,” he confessed as he slung his arm around Margaery’s shoulders. The latter leaned into it without any hesitation. “Yeah, that’s what I’ve been thinking too. Have you seen the new employee that she hired? I think that he could be a good match for her. He’s handsome and seems to work hard.”

 

Robb nodded in recognition. He had seen a new staff member who didn’t seem to work at Winterfell Snow until about last month, but he did not think that the guy was good looking enough for his sister. He did seem to have a strong work ethic, as Robb barely saw him out and about unless he was taking out the finished pastries or interacting with customers. However, he did not catch the guy’s name. Robb decided not to investigate further because he trusted that Margaery had good judgment and he wished just as much as she did that Sansa could find someone who was responsible and would make her happy. 

 

~

_ He was running fast with a stinging pain in his abdomen. He held onto someone, but he did not turn back to look at her. As the person behind him began to pant and fall behind, he only gripped her tighter. Without turning, all he said was, “You can’t stop now. He’ll find us.” Suddenly, they came to a riverbank. He gulped at the sight of the icy cold water, but he waded in without any hesitation. Finally turning around to see the person behind, he held out his hand and only heard her gasps as she waded in… _

 

Blue eyes flew open in a flash of recognition.  _ That girl _ , Reek thought to himself as he tried to recall her features.  _ She looks like...my boss... _ he realized.  _ Who were we running from and why did we have to run from him? _

 

Reek looked around him and remembered where he was. He had woken up confused in the past few mornings because he had gotten used to waking up in the basement of the Boltons’ home. Although Winterfell Snow’s break room was small, the room was well heated and had a window facing the sun. Pulling back the curtains, Reek welcomed another winter morning as a free man. He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a pin shaped like a direwolf. Although he could not remember where and when he got it or who had given it to him, Reek kept the pin with him at all times. He felt a strange sense of familiarity whenever he looked at it, as if his past was trying to creep back into his memory. He gave a wistful half-smile, pocketed the pin, and headed downstairs to open the cafe.

 

Sansa had just stepped inside when she saw Reek already at the counter. She nodded at him and headed to the break room to unload her things. The couch that Reek slept on was separated from the rest of the room with a long curtain so that he could have some privacy. Sansa rummaged through her bag and produced a set of speakers and her iPhone. She smiled to herself.  _ It’s going to be a long day, but I came prepared with the best playlist of January 2019 _ . She scrolled through the playlist, titled “Making Memories.” The tracks featured a variety of artists and moods, such as nostalgic, romantic, or hopeful.  _ Perfect for a windy, snowy day like this _ , she thought.  _ I sure hope that Reek likes singing, because I’m totally going to jam out to these songs and I don’t want to look like a fool by myself _ . She shook her head at the thought of Reek, but she rushed out anyway because she wanted to liven up the place as soon as possible.

 

“Hey Reek!” Sansa called out from behind, sounding a little out of breath.

 

“Yes?” Reek raised an eyebrow at her urgent tone as Sansa held up a set of speakers. “What’s that for?”

 

Sansa’s eyes lit up. “I just created the most amazing playlist of January and I just need to hear it played today.”

 

Reek laughed, clearly amused by her enthusiasm. “As you wish, Sansa,” he said as he continued assembling lemon cakes in the display window. Just one second later, “I Want It That Way” by the Backstreet Boys started playing. Reek recognized the song from various parties he had attended as Ramsay’s driver and in other people’s cars. He hummed along for the first few bars until Sansa began singing along to the words in her smooth mezzo-soprano voice:

 

_ You are my fire _

_ The one desire _

_ Believe when I say _

_ I want it that way _

 

As if something in him had awakened, Reek found himself automatically belting out the next few lines:

 

_ But we are two worlds apart _

_ Can’t reach to your heart _

_ When you say _

_ That I want it that way _

 

When he sang, Reek looked straight into Sansa’s Tully-blue eyes with his own ocean-blue ones, sending a slight shudder down the latter’s spine. For the first time, Sansa noticed the storm and passion embedded within those irises, and she felt a strange connection as she listened to his slightly raspy but rich baritone voice.  _ Thank god he likes singing, but who knew that he could sing so well? _ The thought floated in her mind for a second before both of them went for the chorus:

 

_ Tell me why _

_ (ain’t nothing but a heartache) _

_ Tell me why _

_ (ain’t nothing but a mistake) _

_ Tell me why _

_ I never want to hear you say _

_ I want it that way _ …

 

“Wow, you’re an amazing singer,” Reek whispered to Sansa as the song finished. He still couldn’t quite believe that he struck up the nerve to sing out loud. The Boltons had prohibited all forms of entertainment in the house, so Reek could only listen to music through earbuds at night. The music calmed him from his family’s treatment and reminded him that despite everything, he should keep on living.

 

“You’re not so bad yourself,” Sansa admitted with a slight flush in her cheeks. Other than Robb, she did not feel comfortable singing out loud in front of other men. However, Reek was different. Sansa didn’t know why but she felt at ease in his presence, especially after he took up residence in her break room. Was it trust? The beginning of a new friendship? Whatever it was, she did not care to question it because she enjoyed their mutual understanding.

 

Reek scrolled through the music library on his phone. When he added a few songs to the queue, he grinned at Sansa as he connected his phone to the speakers. She looked confused for a moment but once she realized what he was doing, she gave him a little smirk.

 

“Think you can beat my tastes, DJ Reek?” Sansa challenged with a toss of her braid.

 

Reek didn’t reply as he clicked play. Suddenly, a quirky, upbeat tune blasted through the speakers. After the first few beats, he began rapping along. Sansa burst into laughter at the words:

 

_ In the middle of the party bitch get off me _

_ In the cut I'm rolling up my broccoli (that weed, that weed)... _

 

Reek didn’t notice his hair flying or his ridiculous hand gestures. Sansa noticed that he hadn’t ever been this open with her before, and he looked adorable trying to keep up with the original rapper. What’s more, the song was about weed, something that her parents would have turned her out of the house for if she ever smoked it. “Bold of you to assume that I wouldn’t fire you on the spot for playing that song,” she teased when he was done. Reek only grinned at her in return. 

 

~

 

At Lannister Consulting Group, everything was color coordinated and the atmosphere definitely screamed no-nonsense business. In the main conference room, white leather chairs with gold lion furnishings surrounded a large white marble table. The room was bare of decorations except for the long wine-red velvet drapes adorning the full-size window overlooking King’s Landing.

 

Cersei Lannister stood at the window in silence, watching the hustle and bustle of the city down below. With her silky blonde hair in a neat bob and dressed in a red-and-black Chanel tweed suit, completing the outfit with sleek black Louboutins, she exemplified the look of the company’s rich and powerful CEO.  _ I single handedly saved Stark Empire from going bankrupt, so now they must do my bidding _ , she thought as her lips curved into a smile. Just then, someone knocked on the door, shattering her mental conversation. “Come in,” she said as she resumed her usual nonchalant expression.

 

Ned Stark walked into the room, looking out of place in his ill-fitting suit and unshaven beard. He stepped gingerly, as if he was afraid of breaking something valuable. Clearing his throat, he addressed his host. 

 

“Good afternoon, Cersei.” 

 

Cersei turned around and flashed Ned a smile that did not quite reach her eyes. “Good afternoon, Ned. Thank you for coming to see me today.” She gestured at the chairs. “Please do have a seat. My assistant will be here soon with tea.” 

 

Ned muttered a thanks and sat down. After their tea was served, Cersei got right down to business.

 

“Our winter ball is only a few days away, and I assume that you and your family will be attending?” Her lips curved in a smile once more. Ned felt an uneasy feeling creep into his gut, but he tried hard not to show it on his face. “Absolutely. Thank you for the invite,” he said in his most professional tone.

 

Cersei’s smile didn’t leave her lips. “It’s our pleasure. How’s your family?”

 

Ned looked straight into her eyes, as if signaling for her not to mess with him. “Very good, thank you.”

 

Cersei laughed softly. “Oh, come on now. No need to be awkward. Just because Sansa and my Joffrey didn’t work out doesn’t mean that our alliance is soured now, is it?” She asked in an amused tone.

 

Ned did not like where this conversation was going, so he tried to change the subject. “Yes, of course. Now, what did you call me here for?”

 

Cersei’s eyes glinted. “That’s good to hear. I want you to ask Sansa to perform a duet with Joffrey at the ball.” Pausing for momentum, she added, “We will pay her well, don’t worry.”

 

Ned’s eyes flared with anger, but he stopped himself just in time. “I...don’t think that’s such a good idea. Perhaps we can come up with another form of entertainment that won’t embarrass anyone, especially your son,” he said with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

 

Upon seeing his reaction, Cersei smiled even wider. “But what better way to show that our two companies are working well together than to have members of both houses do a joint performance?” She leaned in closer as Ned tried to shift back in his seat. “Do not forget that your company would have ceased to exist if it wasn’t for me,” she said coolly.

 

Ned’s stomach lurched at her not-so-subtle manipulation.  _ This manipulative wench _ , he thought to himself.  _ I will never let her hurt my family or my company. _

 

He smiled back with false sincerity. “We will never forget what you have done for us. I will talk to Sansa and ask her if she wants to do it. No promises though.” With that, he got up out of his seat. “Good day, Cersei,” he called over his shoulder as he sauntered out, leaving the latter seething. 


End file.
